The Scent of Autumn Breeze and Feathers
by KuroSnow
Summary: Can Momiji get Aya to pay attention to her for once, and finally catch that elusive crow? First person Momiji as she chases Aya. One shot.


Author's Note: This is a one shot. What you see is what you get. I needed a bit of a side project to help keep my main story fresh, and honestly, I had a lot of fun writing this. I might do more like it. I had a really hard time choosing a title for this one. Also I'd really really like to thank my friends Mino and Memo for helping me through this one. Their feedback helped me really refine this. Thanks for putting up with me guys.

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"Hey Momiji!" My heart races as the familiar voice reaches my ears. The black crow tengu it belongs to lands in front of me, kicking up a small dust cloud. My ears twitch and I hope she doesn't notice my tail waving.

"Hi, Aya. What's going on?" I smile and glance away from her, trying not to stare at the features I know so well. The short black hair that always seems to wave as an unseen breeze blows through it, the pointy ears that stick out from her hair, her sharp eyes that match the sly grin. Her thin shoulders that flow into her slender frame.

A click gets my attention, and I blink a few times. Aya pulls the camera away from her face, revealing her ear to ear mischievous grin.

"Aya! Why did you take a picture?!" I shout, flustered. She chuckles and waves the camera around. "I got a picture of Momiji's staring face. Rare Item, get!" Her laughs only further embarrass me. "Anyway, I got a great scoop! Let's go, Momiji!" She grabs my wrist and turns and starts running, pulling me along. I follow her without fussing, happy to get to spend more time with her. She drags me off through the bushes.

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As we walk, I wonder what Aya found. I probably should have had a red flag when she mentioned 'scoop', but seeing her so excited always gets the better of me. Knowing Aya, she probably wouldn't hear it even if I told her to wait. I decide to pass the time with idle talk.

"Did you sell a lot of newspapers last week, Aya?" I ask her. She scowls.

"Only about a dozen. Even Hatate sold more than me!" She rants. I smile bitterly.

"I warned you that publishing that article about Alice's experiments was a bad idea." I tell her. She gives me a dirty look.

"How was I to know she was making chocolate for Marisa? And I don't need you giving me 'I told you so'." I haven't seen her this cross since Reimu broke her printing press.

"I'm not saying 'I told you so', I'm just asking you to listen to my advice more." Aya stops and turns on me.

"Momiji. Who's the reporter?" She asks, staring at me flatly.

"You are..." I say quietly. I feel my ears fall a little.

"And who runs a newspaper?" Her eyes don't leave me.

"You do... But-" She cuts me off. I shrink back some.

"And! Who gets the scoops?" She takes a step closer.

"You do... Aya-" She stops me once more and stands nose to nose with me. My ears go flat. She smiles as she notices.

"And, Momiji..." Oh god. "Who owes me a favor for breaking my camera?" She waves the device at me. I sigh, defeated.

"I do." I give up. She just won't let me get a word in. It's the same as the incident with Alice's chocolate.

"So, who's going to help me investigate this scoop?" She tugs my ear. I scrunch my face.

"I am..."

"Good!" She beams a smile at me. "Shall we, then?" She continues to lead us off.

.

"Aya..." I whisper quietly, hoping our quarry won't overhear me. "What are we doing here? This is wrong..." My protests fall on deaf ears. As usual. Aya scribbles furiously in her notebook, which is probably the only thing closer to her than her camera. I move a little closer and peek out of the bush, looking at Moriya Shrine. What here could possibly interest Aya? Aya closes her notebook and slips it back inside her shirt. I wish I was that notebook... My thoughts are cut short as Aya gives me a tug, then points to direct my attention. Coming up the stairs was Reimu. Why would she want to be at Moriya Shrine? Kanako hasn't done anything since the incident. Suwako calls out a greeting to Reimu, and comes out of the shrine to sit on the boards. Reimu sits next to her.

"Does she know?" The miko asks. Suwako smiles and shakes her head. "Good. She'll never see it coming." Reimu smiles and giggles. Click. Aya snaps a photo. I gasp. Is it some kind of conspiracy? Is Aya actually on to something? The two go inside.

"Damn it. We have to get closer, Momiji. What are they planning?" Aya frowns as she stands up.

"We shouldn't, Aya! We'd be invading their privacy..." I frown at the crow tengu. Why couldn't she just let things be? Before I can further protest, she flies off, trying to find a good spot to take photos from. Sighing, I stand up and come out of the bushes. I look toward Aya up in the overcast sky. She always takes things too far. I walk toward the shrine and yell out a greeting. "Hello? Anyone in?" I know they are, but they don't need to know that. Suwako comes to the door.

"Oh, hi, Momiji! Come on in. Reimu and I are having some tea. Would you like some?" She asks. I nod, smiling. Taking my sandals off, I follow the goddess inside to a table where Reimu is already sipping from a cup. I sit at a free spot as Suwako leaves to get me a cup.

"Hi, Momiji." Hakurei greets me. I smile and wave. "What brings you here?" She looks at me questioning. I try to dodge the question. Dang it, Aya. Why can't we go anywhere together for a social visit?

"I was patrolling nearby, and thought I'd stop by and say hello." Suwako returns with the teacup and pours me some tea.

"So basically, Aya is snooping again." Reimu points out. Bulls-eye. I sigh and nod my head. "It's not all bad though." She points to my tea. A stem floats vertically at the surface. I sip the warm beverage and smile. Good luck, huh?

"Actually," Suwako joins in. "We could use your help, Momiji." I look at her curiously. "Tomorrow is Sanae's birthday, and we're planning a surprise party." I sigh in relief. So that's what it was. Aya, didn't I say not to jump to conclusions? "Could you give out the invitations?" Suwako pushes some papers toward me. I look through them. Nitori, Rinnosuki, Alice, Marisa, the Prismrivers, even Youmu, Yuyuko and the Scarlets. And they went through the trouble to invite Aya and me.

"That's... quite a lot." I stare in amazement. Reimu frowns and nods.

"Suika was supposed to send them out and forgot." The miko tells me, frustrated. I stack the invitations neatly and sigh.

"Okay, I'll do it. I owe you for Aya's rudeness. I'm very sorry for that... She never listens to me." My face starts turning red and my vision gets blurry. Why am I crying? I sniff and can't hold it back anymore. "Why doesn't she understand? Why won't she pay attention? Why won't she listen?" It's so embarrassing... But I just can't stop. My tears run down my cheeks and into my tea. Reimu and Suwako look at each other, and back at me. "I'm so sorry..." I wipe my eyes with my sleeve and take deep breaths, trying to pull myself together. Reimu shrugs and Suwako smiles and shakes her head, trying to comfort me some. I return the smile and dry my face. Picking up my cup, I finish the tea and leave it on the table as I stand up. I really hope the tea stem is right... Suwako hands me the invitations, and I take them, smiling. "Thank you for the tea. It was delicious." I wave to them as I leave. Their farewells follow me out. I'm getting ready to head down the stairs to the Moriya Shrine when Aya lands behind me.

"Momiji, what are you doing? You just blew our cover! Now I won't be able to find out their conspiracy-" I turn and slap her as hard as I can. She stares at me in shock.

"Their 'conspiracy' is a damn birthday party, Aya. They even gave me an invitation for you. But I'm not going to give it to you. You always do this. AYA YOU IDIOT!" I shout as loud as I can, my tears returning. I glare at her one more time, my red hand print ruining that perfect face of the girl I hold so dear. I turn away and leave her standing there.

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I sigh as I wave goodbye to Meiling, the door guard at Scarlet Devil Mansion. I've still got most of the the stack of invitations to go, and it's already getting late. Next on the list is... Komeiji Satori and family? The Palace of the Earth Spirits is a long way off. As I start walking, Aya comes to my mind. I wish I could be as fast and elegant as her. I pull out her invitation and stare at it in my hands. "Aya..." I bite my lip. I really hope I didn't ruin our relationship. Her face comes back to me, bright red where I hit her. "Oh, Aya..." I put the invitation away.

"Momiji, wait." Aya's voice comes from a nearby bush. I jump and give a startled yelp, turning to face her.

"A-A-A-Aya! How... How long have you been there...?" I already know, and my face glows bright red, telling her that much. She smiles teasingly at me out of habit before catching herself and sighing.

"Momiji, I..." She pauses and swallows. "I..." She stops again and scratches the back of her head. "I'm sorry, okay? I got ahead of myself, and in my excitement, I ignored you and made you mad... I... I need my partner." She looks away from me. I smile and run to her, embracing her.

"Aya!" I cry, burying my face in her shoulder. She puts her arms around me. "Aya! Aya!" I say her name repeatedly, enjoying the warmth. My tail waves at full speed. "I'm sorry I hit you..." I missed this smell, of the summer breeze and warm feathers. She shakes her head and pets me, rubbing behind my ears. I giggle. "Aya, cut that out, it tickles." She smiles as I squirm. I pull away from her. "But I'm still mad at you." I tell her, crossing my arms and looking away, frowning. Click.

"Momiji's angry face. Rare Item, get." She jokes weakly. "So, how can I make it up to you?" I smile and pull out the invitations. I go through them, and hand her the ones to the far off places that are hard for me to get to, the Palace of the Earth Spirits and Hakugyokurou. She looks at them and back at me.

"Aya, these all have to be delivered tonight. Do this for me, and come to my place after. Then we need to have a talk..." She looks at the papers hand and accepts. I hug her. "Have a safe trip." I smile at her, relieved more than I'd like to admit. She smiles at me and waves before taking off. The fastest in Gensokyo. The one who makes my heart race the fastest. I shake myself out of my thoughts. I need to deliver the rest of mine too.

.

"Aya sure is late..." I worry aloud as I dry myself off. That bath felt really good after working so hard to get all of the invitations delivered. I walk over to my window and peer at the star filled sky. "I hope she's okay..." My tail waves as I think about Aya. She was so cool when she said that I was her partner and she needed me. I smile broadly and my ears twitch as I recall the scene. Suddenly, a large crash outside shakes me from my thoughts. I quickly pull on my shirt and skirt, and grab my sword and shield, running outside to see what it was. Lying outside is Aya, fast asleep. I rush over and check on her. She's not hurt... She must have fallen asleep while flying over here... I throw my sword and shield back into the house and Aya pick up, bringing her inside. She's lighter than I expected. As I lay her on the bed, something falls out of her shirt pocket. I pick it up and realize it's a stack of pictures. Most of them are embarrassing photos of me. I look at Aya flatly. "Aya... What do you think you're doing?" I continue to flip through them until I reach the last one. I stop and almost drop the pictures. I stare at the photo in my hands. "Oh, Aya." I smile and wipe away a tear. "Aya, you idiot." In the picture, she's holding the camera, standing in front of Moriya Shrine and grinning through tears, giving peace with her other hand, a bright red hand print on her cheek. I put the rest of the pictures down and get a small frame for the last one. I put it on my desk and smile at it. I look over at Aya and decide that I should get some rest too. I curl up comfortably next to Aya. It's so warm. I smile and breath in deeply, and start coughing. The smell of sweat is overwhelming. "Aya, you could really use a bath..."

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I wake up to the sound of singing and water. Rubbing my eyes, yawning, I sit up, seeing the picture in the frame next to the bed. I smile and look for Aya.

"Aya?" I call. "Are you in the bathroom?" I walk over to the door and knock.

"Good morning to you too, Momiji." Aya answers. "Hold on a minute, I'm just about finished." She tells me. I go back and lay down on the bed, humming the song Aya was singing. A minute later, she comes out of the bathroom in a towel. I cover my eyes, trying to fight the urge to stare. Click. Her camera goes off again.

"What's wrong, Momiji? We're both girls." She smiles teasingly. She walks over to the bed and bends over. I sneak a peek at her chest through my fingers.

"Aya! That's not the problem! You should consider others' feelings for once!" I couldn't resist the temptation to widen the gap through my fingers and take a better look. Click.

"Momiji's perverted face, get!" Aya chuckles. I glare at her flatly.

"Not 'rare item'? I frown. She turns away from me and waves the camera over her shoulder as she waves her soft round butt at me. I stare a little harder than I mean to.

"Hee hee, nope. I see Momiji's perverted face all the time." She tells me, grinning. I freeze, my face turning a dozen shades of red. "Oh yes, Momiji. I know when you're staring at me, you lusty wolf."

"Aya! Why didn't you say anything if you knew I loved you?" I sob, my tears welling up. She grins and waves the camera again.

"And waste all those opportunities... wait, did you say 'love'?" She stops and stares at me, almost dropping her camera. "Momiji, I never, I thought, I only..." She stutters. "Oh... Shit." Aya sighs as she curses her foolishness.

"You didn't stop to ask, Aya?" My tears are streaming down my face in hot streaks. "You're always going at your own pace! I told you that you don't pay attention... STUPID AYA!" I stand and run out of the house, leaving her standing there.

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Before I know it, I'm standing at Moriya Shrine. Sanae looks up from her sweeping towards my red face.

"Momiji? What are you doing here?" She asks. Oh. Oh... Oops.

"I just," I sob, wiping my eyes. "I was," I stop again to sniff. "I thought I'd come by, on patrol..." A pathetic excuse. Sanae looks at me, concerned.

"Would you like some tea?" She offers. I nod weakly. I follow her inside to the table where I had 'conspired' with Reimu and Suwako just the day before. I sit at the same spot I did last time, and Sanae leaves to prepare the tea. I wait patiently and look around the room when Suwako comes bursting in. She skids to a stop and looks at me.

"Momiji? What are you doing here? Wait. Aya, right?" The goddess asks. I nod. She sighs and shakes her head. "Where's Sanae?" I point to the kitchen. She nods. "Sanae, Sanae!" Suwako calls out to the shrine maiden as she heads for the kitchen. "Come quick! Something's happened at the Hakurei Shrine!" Then Suwako runs back through, dragging Sanae out of the Shrine and leaving me alone and with no tea. I frown at the table. Heaving a sigh, I stand up. Sitting here alone is no fun. I guess I should go to the party too. I leave Moriya Shrine behind, thinking about all the times Aya might have caught me staring. There were quite a lot.

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I arrive to find the party in full swing. There are a lot of people here, singing, yelling, cheering, and drinking. Someone pushes one of the Oni drinking gourds into my hands. Judging by the amount of spit and sake on it, they're drinking and passing. I wipe off the mouth of the gourd as best I can before bringing it to my lips and drinking heavily. I cough and wipe my mouth before passing the gourd. The Oni's alcohol is strong. I sway a little unsteadily on my feet as I look around. I see Suwako as she sees me, and makes her way over to me.

"Momiji! There's a lot of people here! Were you able to give out all of the invites?" She asks me in awe. I nod. "How?"

"Stupid Aya..." I sob again. "Aya, why didn't you figure it out?" I cry. Suwako frowns at me.

"Aya helped you?" She asks. I nod. The goddess sighs. "Let's give it up for Momiji!" She shouts to the party goers. "She made this possible by getting all the invites out on such short notice! Get this girl a drink!" The crowd cheers, and several people pass forward sake cups and beer mugs. Suika comes forth with an over sized beer glass and her gourd. She fills it to the brim and hands it to me.

"Thanks for fixing my screw up, Momiji. I owe you." She grins. I nod and look at the mug, with enough alcohol to kill a human. The crowd starts to chant, urging me to drink the whole thing in one go. Suika grins at me gives me a thumbs up. I give her one back and bring the mug to my lips. Aya flashes through my mind, and I close my eyes and tip my head back. The alcohol burns in a satisfying way all the way down. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. I pull the glass away from my lips and gasp for air, holding aloft the empty mug. The crowd's cheers fill me with a sense of pride, even as my world swims dangerously. Suika laughs and puts an arm around my shoulders. "You drink like an Oni!" She cheers, drinking from her gourd. I sniff a little and grin. "They should make you the fifth Diva!" She jokes.

"Or maybe she should just take your spot." A voice comes from behind us. Suika spins us to face the accuser, Yuugi, a fellow Oni. I feel slightly nauseous.

"She can drink, but I can still beat her." Suika tries to defend herself. I nod, then stop, the motion making me ill.

"Ha, but you still can't beat me." Yuugi grins, holding up her own gourd. The two Oni place their gourds in their right hands, and lock their drinking arms together. The crowd grows louder as their showdown begins. Suwako pulls me away from the dangerous alcoholism.

"Someone's here to see you." She tells me. I reply with a small burp. Suwako grimaces. "She's trashed, but she's alive." Suwako tells another girl, before turning me over.

"Momiji! I've been looking all over for you! I want to apologize... Holy hell, you look awful." The new girl tells me. I blink and look right at her.

"You look familiar... And really cute..." I slur, swaying on my feet.

"Momiji. It's me, Aya!" Her face comes into focus. That beautiful black hair, those mischievous lips, twisted in a frown.

"Aya..." I start crying. "What are you doing here?" I point at her accusingly. "I won't let your feminine wiles take advantage of my vulnerable state." What the hell am I saying? Mm, Aya's scent. I can smell her aroma of Autumn breeze over the bonfires and alcohol.

"You... Uh, dropped this when you ran out." She hands me a piece of paper. Her invitation. I squint at it to read it. "Momiji... I'm sorry I never realized. I'm such an idiot. I thought you were just in heat. So, I thought about it. I... love you too, Inubashiri Momiji. Will you-" I lean forward and kiss her on the lips.

"Stupid Aya..." I whisper. "Of course I will. I'll do anything for you, especially if you ask me like that..." I kiss her again. The smell of fresh feathers and Autumn... It's so nice. I smile at her, and then promptly empty the contents of my stomach, consisting entirely of copious amounts of Oni booze, all over her dress. I hear her shriek of surprise as everything goes black.

.

The first thing I notice is the throbbing headache. Then I notice the smell of feathers. I groan in pain.

"Stupid Momiji." Aya whispers in my ear. I nod. She giggles. "I thought I'd try saying it." I open my eyes and look at her. She's wearing a miko outfit. And it looks really, really good on her. "Also, you need a bath." She grins at me and scrunches her nose. I nod again.

"Aya, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I threw up on you. I'm sorry I never told you. I'm sorry I-" She cuts me off with a kiss.

"It's okay. It's my fault too. Even the first one. Now go get cleaned up." She pushes me out from under the blanket. "And hurry up, or I might get cold." She smiles. I look around. We're in the guest room at Hakurei Shrine. I hold my head and walk toward the bath. I hear splashing inside.

"Hey, Reimu!" Suika calls from inside. "Wash my back!" She opens the door to the bath and stands before me completely nude. "Oh, hi Momiji. Some party, huh?" I nod. "Could you wash my back?" She holds out a wash cloth. I look at it and at the naked Oni. Sighing, I take the cloth and follow her into the bath.

"You have to wash mine after. Oh, and careful where you put those hands. I'm in a committed relationship now, I think." I tell her, getting undressed. She laughs.

"I heard about that! Finally caught that elusive crow, huh? Congratulations!" She grins at me.

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The entire way back to my house, Aya and I hold hands. My tail won't stop. Aya grins at me, and tugs on my tail. I giggle because it tickles. She smiles and pulls me faster. We get to my house and she pushes me inside as we laugh. She closes the door behind us, and it's like she becomes a different Aya. I turn to face her as she advances on me, a wicked smile on her face. She pushes me down onto the bed and holds me down.

"Aya?" I ask, concerned. Click. She licks her lips as she takes the picture. Even though I feel exposed, I can't help but feel a little excited.

"I hope you're prepared for this, Momiji. You were so defenseless last night, I could barely contain myself." She leans in and kisses me. My heart races faster than ever. She pulls off my shirt slowly, taking pictures the whole way. I gasp as I feel her lips on my skin.

"Aya, no one's going to see those pictures, right? Aya? Aya! Aya!"

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Click. Aya leans down and whispers in my ear. I can barely hear her over the sound of my labored breathing. "Momiji's intimate face. Legendary item, get. Don't worry Momiji, no one else is going to see these. This side of Momiji belongs to me. Still, there's the issue of the time you broke my camera..." God damn it.


End file.
